Let’s admit it: we can’t live without our smartphones. Whether we like it or not, these gadgets have become an extension of our lives. Recent studies revealed that more than 74% of people feel uneasy when they don’t have their smartphones with them—and almost half of the population confessed that they are literally ‘addicted’ to their phones.
But who’s not? With so many applications available these days, there are already so many productive things we can do with our smartphones. Yes, folks, there’s something more that you can do aside from endlessly and mindlessly scrolling your newsfeed and getting those unnecessary updates from people you don’t even know at a personal level.
10 Productive Things You Can Do with Your Smartphone When You’re Bored
If you’re feeling too lazy to do the chores at home but would still like to stay productive, here are some no-brainer activities that you can do with your smartphone to stay productive.
- Clean your email box.
Did you know that you can help save the planet by deleting those unnecessary emails that you’ve been hoarding? Yes, those emails are part of the carbon footprint of the digital era.
Those spam, unread, and unwanted emails transmitted through the Internet are stored in data centers that house thousands of servers that consume electricity and produce CO2. As per reports, around 293.6 billion emails are exchanged every day—with around 107 billion of these being spam.
If you’re bored and have nothing to do, take your time to go over your emails and see what you haven’t read yet, dispose of those that are not needed, and organize emails where they rightfully belong: in the archive, trash, or spam folder. Also, don’t hesitate to unsubscribe from newsletters that you never read. By doing this, you don’t only get to save yourself from getting buried under junk emails; you also get to help save Mother Earth.
- Prune your to-do list.
While you’re in the ‘tidying’ zone, might as well take a look at the quick tasks that you have listed on your phone and prune those items. For sure, there are things there that you have accomplished. Eliminate those tasks, reorganize your board, and make your list as inviting as possible.
- Give your brain some workouts.
This year, make sure that you don’t only consume what entertains you. Make sure that you also allow your brain to think. Training your brain greatly helps you better control your attention and mental processing abilities. Games like Wordmeister at plays.org can help you widen your vocabulary, practice your spelling, and develop critical thinking skills.
If you’re not into word games, you can also consider playing Sort the Trash, an interesting game that will prompt your reflexes and fine motor skill while at the same time refreshing you with your knowledge on how you should segregate your trash. Most interestingly, this online educational game also provides informative feedback about the trash you’ve collected through the game.
- Delete those photos.
Literally start the year on an empty page. Clean up your photo gallery. How many years have you been saving those photos? Do you really need them—like all those 45 selfies you’ve taken?
Let your smartphone breathe and free up some space. If those photos really do hold some precious memories, gather them together in one folder and save them in your cloud storage. It’s 2023, time to downsize your collection. You’ll have more memories to make this year. Hence, empty your cup so that you can freely fill it with more!
- Learn a new language!
Planning to travel abroad? Get a head start and become a fluent speaker of the country. There are numerous apps available that you can use to learn a new language in an easy and fun way. Even if you only have five minutes of spare time, you can actually learn so much within that short period. Yes, that’s how great it is.
So, if you’re looking for a sign to start learning Japanese or French, this is it!
- Meditate.
With so many things going on right now, it’s understandable why you don’t want to do anything. Well, while you’re at it, why not take it to a new level of rest this time? Meditation apps are now available for download, and some can truly help you better understand your feelings, manage your stress, and even teach you how to do proper breathing!
- Catch up on news.
Instead of reading through the comments and fake news spread by keyboard warriors, why not go through reliable news sites and check out what’s currently happening around you? Go beyond the pages of entertainment and find the truth behind the clickbait titles you’ve been seeing on your newsfeed.
- Practice your reflexes.
Check out how alert you are by playing online games. Super-friendly sites like plays.org offer thousands of easy-to-learn games that will remind you of your sweet childhood. There’s a Mario-style game called Electricity Bill, as well as the epic Fruit Master, which will put your slicing skills to the test.
And then there’s the Corona Virus game that will remind you to remain vigilant and wear your facemask at all times to keep yourself safe from the virus that is still going around.
- Listen to podcasts.
Another way to stay productive while you’re on your phone is to listen to podcasts. Yes, this platform is a great way to stay informed about current events and gain new insights from reliable speakers who openly share their ideas and thoughts about topics that you are interested in.
Podcasts usually span from twenty to forty minutes. By immersing yourself in the right people, you can already make the most of your commute or even optimize your treadmill at the gym!
- Write the things that you need.
Save time from thinking over and over in the middle of the grocery aisle about what it is that you need. While you’re still holding your smartphone, list down all the things that you think you will need.
You may not be able to list everything, but at the very least, if you are unsure about what is missing, you can simply refer to the random grocery list on your phone and double-check if you need to purchase them.
See? You can still stay productive even when you’re just slouching on your sofa or taking that long bus ride. Get out of social media. There are still a lot of things that you can do with your smartphone. More productive ones.
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